Resurgence
by PrettyLittleMasochist
Summary: With Bruce dead and Jason's name in the will, the bat family has no choice but to let the supposedly reformed antihero take up the mantel and become the new Batman. With young Carrie Kelley at his side, Jason will work to uncover the source behind the new evil that has fallen over Gotham as well as keep his demons on a leash. Carrie Kelley X Jason Todd, Reviews are much appreciated
1. Small scale battle for the cowl

_**Title-**_ _Resurgence_

 _ **Rating-**_ _M (Language, Violence, Adult situations)_

 _ **Summary-**_ _With Bruce dead and Jason's name in the will, the bat family has no choice but to let the supposedly reformed antihero take up the mantel and become the new Batman. With young Carrie Kelley at his side, Jason will work to uncover the source behind the new evil that has fallen over Gotham as well as keep his demons on a leash. Carrie Kelley X Jason Todd_

 _ **Pairing-**_ _Jason Todd X Carrie Kelley_

 _ **Authors Note-**_ _She's not included in the character list but Carrie Kelley is a cannon character, she is from the dark knight returns movies and also the comics. She is actually an amazing female robin and she deserves more love, soooo in lieu of that, here's a fanfiction :) R &R, enjoy the story._

 _ **Chapter One-**_ _Small scale_ _battle for the cowl_

 _ **Carrie's POV**_

We put Bruce in the ground two hours ago. My mind simply could not grasp that simple fact and so I kept thinking it to myself, searching for that grip, a final understanding. In my head, I knew of everyone in the bat family, I was supposed to be hurting the least. I'd only been here a short while...but in my heart….I was devastated. Batman died, I was supposed to be his Robin….and he died. I must be some kind of Jinx.

Barbara, Dick, Tim and I all stood facing one another, behind the pile of rubble that used to be Wayne manor. Snowflakes whisked through the bitter air, they nipped my nose and caught in Barbara's long red curls. My emerald eyes shifted from the ground to each of their sullen faces. Dick seemed to be fighting back tears, Tim had sobbed all morning and Barbara, while she never cried in front of me had mascara smeared all down her face.

"I…" Barbara's voice cracked and she wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her black cardigan "I have Bruce's will and we have a few things we need to straighten out. We have to be strong, you all know he would not have wanted us to fall apart in his absence. Listen, Dick…" she rasped "You are the new head of Wayne enterprises."

He nodded in silent response. I think he was afraid that he'd cry if he spoke. I didn't blame him. "What does it say about the cowl?" Tim inquired softly.

The redhead sighed "Bruce wrote that Jason is the best candidate for the next Batman-"

"Jason?" Tim hissed "Barbie are you kidding me? He kills people! He's a walking armory! That is completely insane, he can't! We can't let that happen!"

"He's right." Dick spoke for the first time in the last two hours.

"There are some terms, it says he can only pick up the mantel if he has a Robin."

"Well that settles it." Tim sneered "Carrie couldn't possibly control him, she hasn't been trained long enough-"

"That's enough Tim." Dick growled "Don't insult Carrie because you're upset."

Barbara looked up at the sky "I haven't a clue as to how to find Jason so this is hardly a problem, we'll simply choose someone else."

Tim looked in her direction "I would gladly take up his mantel."

"I know that, Tim." Barbara nodded slowly and swallowed the knot in her throat.

"Uh oh, trouble in paradise?" a voice I'd never heard before made us all look to the side. He was tall, black messy hair adorned with a white streak fell over icy blue eyes, he wore blue jeans, combat boots and a leather jacket over a dirty white t-shirt.

"You-" Tim yelled "You didn't even have the decency to wear a suit?" an aggravated shriek spilled from the seventeen year old's mouth. "You've got some nerve."

"What is it you want, Jason?" Barbara interjected.

Jason hooked an arm around Tim's neck and gave him what looked like a playful squeeze "You're reading the will, Barbie, you tell me." he smirked.

I couldn't believe how incredibly insensitive this guy was. Was he really the second Robin? "And in case any of you try to lie, Bruce did contact me about a month ago, so I know whats' coming to me." Jason stated calmly as Tim struggled to get out from under his arm until his face turned red.

"You're being incredibly rude." I stated loud and clear as my gaze fell on his face. All eyes were now locked on me.

"Who the hell are you?" he shot back as he dropped Tim in the snow.

I crossed my arms over my chest and stood my ground "Carrie Kelley, and it's hardly important, what's important is how much of an asshole you're being. This is a family event and-"

"And I'm part of the family, kiddo." he winked a blue eye and turned his attention back to Barbara "Tell me."

She sighed "So long as you stop killing and have a robin, Bruce left the cowl to you."

"Well, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Jason crossed his arms and stood up straight "With Joker dead, I have little reason to go around killing the way I did before, and which lucky little bird is gonna be my robin, huh?"

Barbara bowed her head and gestured to me "Carrie. Carrie will be your robin."

Tim finished dusting snow off his pants and went red in the face all over again "Are you serious? She's robin?"

Barbara shot him a look that said 'shut it'. Tim had never really liked me but he'd never been such an ass before. I was willing to blame it on his unstable emotions. Dick walked right up to Jason and grabbed him by the front of his shirt "If you fuck this up, if you disgrace that cowl…"

"You'll do what, Dick? Maime me?" Jason cackled "Cause' ya' certainly won't kill me."

"Boys…" Barbara warned.

"You little…" Dick's face scrunched up as his grip on Jason's shirt visibly tightened.

"Boys…" She tried again.

"Try me." Jason mused and Barbara sighed and began to rub her temples.

My green eyes went wide as Dick's fist smashed into Jason's right eye socket. Fast as lightning, Jason's knee lunged into Dick's stomach, the older staggered backward and the former second robin tackled him to the cold ground.

My fingers slipped up my thigh, beneath my skirt and wrapped around the hilt of my sling shot. I'd always kept it on me, since the day I became robin. I also kept a small bag of ammo attached to the holster. In this particular case, a regular Barnett would do. I readied the little silver ball, closed one eye, bit my tongue as I felt the tip slip over my lower lip, and pegged Jason in the side of the head.

"Ah, what the fuck?" The black haired man's hand flew up to the side of his face.

"That's enough disrespect, get the hell off of eachother!" I demanded as I slipped my sling shot back into it's holster. "These people were supposed to be your family, can't you see that they're hurting? You want to lead this family? Be strong for them, stop fighting with them, stop trying to tear down something the rest of us are just happy to be a part of!" my tone was bitter but I'd earned a smile from Barbara.

Jason didn't speak, but the look in his eyes said ' _Where the hell did this girl come from?'_

"Get the fuck off of me, Jason." Dick mumbled and Jason raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sure thing." The second robin mused as he started to stand up, purposely kicking snow at Dick's irritated face.

I rolled my eyes and exhaled so my bangs jumped up "Unbelievable."

"I think that's just about it…" Barbara said softly "Tim, he left you a decent sum of money."

Tim nodded, he looked pretty defeated.

"Jason, as I said before, Carrie is your robin."

"Joy." the blue eyed man mused.

"Ass." I mumbled in response.

Barbara continued "If you slip up…"

"I get it, Barbie." Jason stated before looking over at me "You, robin, I want an address, home and school...you are still in school, right?"

"I live in the apartments off of crime alley, Building E, second floor, apartment 6, and I go to Gotham high, I've lived here all my life."

"Good girl, I'll see you tonight."

I sighed "Just tell me where to meet you, I've got parents, you can't just show up-"

"You've got parents?" Jason mused "Well, that's a first. Meet me by the sign in your complex's entrance, kay?"

"Cool." I mumbled. Behind him, I could see the concern written all over three faces. None of them wanted him to be Batman. None of them. If that was the case, there must be a good reason. No one ever mentioned Jason, they just called him the black sheep of the family. What could he have done? Tim said he killed, but...I had to wonder what made him do it. He was young and handsome, he had his entire life ahead of him...so why would he do something so...wrong?

"We'll talk more over the next few days…" Barbara said softly and we dispersed.

 _ **000**_

I rolled my eyes as I watched Michelle play around with her long dark hair as she stared at her excited reflection in the mirror that hung above my dresser. "Carrie, should I leave it down or put it in a messy ponytail?"

"I don't care." I mused as I sat up "I was ready an hour ago, we're going to a movie, Michelle, it's not a beauty pageant."

"It's easy for you-"

"Because I don't care." I smiled as she situated her white skirt and red belt.

"The combat boots, Carrie?" Michelle whined.

"They're practical, we do live in Gotham, Michelle." I pulled a grey hoodie on over my orange sweater and felt over the top of my dresser for my grey beanie.

"Geez' when'd you get so paranoid?"

I pulled my beanie down over my red hair and grabbed my Han solo style fanny pack and secured the leg strap. "Oh shut it, let's go."

"I hate that holster thing, carry a purse."

"This is more practical."

"But it's a fanny pack, Carrie!"

"I don't care." I smiled as we started to walk down the street. The theater we usually went to wasn't more than two blocks from my apartment so we didn't mind walking. Though I was willing to bet Michelle wished she'd worn leggings with that skirt.

"So what have you been doing lately, this is the first time we've hung out in weeks."

"I've been working." I said as I tucked my hands into my hoodie pockets.

"Geez, it's cold."

"You could have worn pants." I laughed quietly.

"Shut up, Carrie." she said through chattering teeth. "So I didn't hear your folks fighting at all tonight…"

"Yeah, they're getting a divorce."

"Christ Carrie, don't you care?" Michelle started to breathe on her hands.

"I mean, sure, I love em' both but they're not happy together anymore, so they shouldn't be expected to stay together just because they have me. If he wants to leave, I'm not gonna try to talk him out of it."

"You don't feel like your home is falling apart?"

"As opposed to listening to them fight all the time? No, not really. I feel like it's a good thing."

"You need your head checked out."

"No, you only think that because you're a spaz." I glanced over at her.

"I'd rather care too much then not at all." she said into her hands.

"I care, I just go about it a different way."

The snow came down, the way it had all day and it was getting harder and harder to see. "Maybe tonight wasn't the best night to go out." Michelle mumbled as we stopped by a carryout to warm up.

"Maybe." I mused as I kicked the snow off my boots "Want me to grab some hot chocolate?"

She nodded in response after waving to the cashier. I made my way to the back of the store and grabbed two large styrofoam cups. Michelle grabbed two lids as I filled the cups to the brim. "Ah, that smells so good." She chirped happily.

"It feels great on your hands too." I smiled placing the lid on my cup. The little bell that signified the opening of the front door sang and I glanced over my shoulder. Four men dressed in black walked through the door and I felt my heart start to race.

"Who the hell is crazy enough to be outside while it's snowing like this? I mean it wasn't bad when we left you're-" I grabbed the back over her head with one hand and covered her mouth with the other.

I forced her to crouch down beside me behind the shelf adorned with packs of batteries. "Be quiet." I whispered softly. My fingers delved into my fanny pack as I kept my eyes on the cashier. At least two of the four men had guns, from the looks of it...this was going to be a murder scene if I didn't do something about it soon. I had no right to endanger Michelle by turning all of the attention on me...not to mention….a large hand pulled my beanie off of my head. A loud gasp slipped from my lips as my body was swung around and Michelle screamed.

Two more had come in from what had to have been a back entrance. "It's gonna be okay, Michelle, don't let these punks scare ya!" The stocky man in front of me grabbed a hold of my face and forced me up off the floor as his free hand gripped my throat.

"Don't get too brave now, missy." he husked as Michelle let out another shriek of terror.

Out the corner of my eye, I could see that she was trapped between a shelf and the body of the man in front of her. "This one's actually kinda' cute."

"This one looks like a little boy." His grip on my throat tightened and I felt myself getting light headed. My legs began to flail as I tried to pry his hand off of my throat.

"Carrie!" Michelle cried.

"Don't worry about your friend, little girl, worry about yourself."

The corners of my vision started to darken, everything was going in and out. My hands felt over his face until my thumbs found his eyes. A raspy scream erupted from the back of my throat as I pressed into his eye sockets as hard as I could.

A warm liquid gushed over my fingers as a gunshot went off and the man holding onto me, dropped me, hard on the floor. As he stumbled backward, holding his hands over his gouged out eye. Violent coughs racked my body as I got to my feet. The cashier had been shot, but she wasn't dead. I wasn't going to give that punk another shot.

I readied my slingshot and dug through my fanny pack for my 36 caliber barnett. The silver ball soared through the air, cracking against the man's trigger finger. He drew back in pain and I quickly swung around, adrenaline pumping as I jumped onto the shoulders of the man who'd cornered Michelle. My thighs locked around his neck as he backed me into a shelf, causing the shelf to fall to the ground. Assorted candies and chips scattered across the floor.

"Carrie!" Michelle screamed through her tears "We're gonna die!" she was on her knees, terrified, dark hair veiled her fear stricken face.

"No! No we are not!" The man slammed my back into the wall and pain surged through my torso causing me to groan in agony.

"Get the fuck off'a me, ya little-" the man growled slamming my back into the wall once more.

"HELP!" Michelle screamed at the top of her lungs as the four goons who'd walked in earlier started making their way toward us.

"HELP!" snot and spit ran down her chin.

"Six guys to rob a friggin carry out? You people are agh! pathetic!" I taunted as the man I'd been choking out with my thighs fell unconscious from lack of oxygen. I leapt off of the wall before he hit the floor so that he didn't take me down with him. The screams of the man whose eyes I'd gouged out mixed with my best friend's ear shattering cries for help.

"This is just our first stop, kid." the gunman rasped.

"Also your last." I mused as I watched Jason drop down from the skylight behind them. The batsuit fit him really well. He'd added a gasmask for his own purposes and to be honest, it looked pretty fucking cool.

"The fuck are you so calm for?"

"You're about to get the ever lovin' shit kicked out of you and I'm going to absolutely love watching every second of it." I smirked.

"Big talk….ya gonna...agh!" a bullet shot through the man's leg and he fell to the floor. I jumped to the side and glared at my new mentor.

"The fuck? No guns!" I yelled.

"He isn't dead." Jason's voice was husky, there was likely a modulator inside the mask. Michelle screamed at the top of her lungs as Jason gunned down each man. Some suffered only one shot to the leg while others wouldn't ever walk again. What the hell is he thinking?

Jason stalked over to the man lying at my feet and grabbed him up by his hair "You're keeping these nice girls out rather late, and on a school night too...I think you owe them an apology before I put one in your-"

"That's enough." I hissed "The cashier needs help."

"Well go help her, kid." he mumbled. I frowned and stepped on the back of one of the gunmen on my way across the floor. The cashier was a young blond. I slid across the counter and looked her over. She'd been shot in her forearm. The bullet had shattered her ulna and lodged in her arm.

"Good girl." I said softly as I assessed the wound "I know it hurts but the fact that it landed here means you tried to defend yourself, you're a fighter, wear it proud, soldier."

She managed a meek smile and nodded "I saw what you did, you're the fighter, not me."

"I wouldn't say that." I said softly.

"I pressed the silent alarm beneath the register after he shot me, the police should be here soon...but I…" she started to cry "I thought I was gonna die."

"I wouldn't have let that happen."

 **000**

Batman was gone by the time the police showed up. Michelle was sitting in an ambulance with a blanket wrapped around her slender shoulders. She still hadn't stopped trembling. I sat beside my friend, my arm draped around her as an officer asked questions about what happened. "You girls must be terrified." the officer said as he wrote down my statements, Michelle didn't have much to say.

"We'll be alright." I said quietly.

"Well, I've called your parents and I'm waiting on a response from hers."

"We've been friends since we were three, My mom will take her home."

"That's good to hear, you know the young lady you saved in there thinks you're pretty extraordinary, Miss Kelley, a hero."

"She's probably a little shaken up, Batman is the hero." I answered softly as Michelle laid her head on my shoulder.

My mother's little smurf blue saturn pulled into the parking lot and I bit my lower lip, knowing she wouldn't be getting out of the car. She was high, she and my father were always high. They hated having anything to do with cops so my mother was likely going to be upset with me for this.

"My mom just pulled in, Officer, we'll take Michelle home, promise."

"Maybe your friend should stay with you tonight, she seems a bit more affected by this ordeal then your are, hun, just give her mother a call."

"Will do, Officer."

"Take care, ms. Kelley."

I nodded "I will."

Michelle slowly clambered out of the ambulance, holding my hand in hers as we walked toward my mother's car. The two of us climbed into the back seat and Michelle laid her head in my lap. I ran my fingers through her hair as I met my mother's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Christ Carrie, stop callin' me for stupid shit." the entire car reeked of marijuana and the whites of her eyes were beat red. "And what the fuck is her problem?"

"She's scared, and I didn't choose to call you, I just figured it was better then having the cops bring me home."

"Just stay the fuck away from cops." My mother snapped "I fuckin' hate em'."

"I know."

"So you want to stress me out, is that what it is?"

"No."

"The hell happened anyway? Are you trying to become a gang banger? What the fuck, Carrie?"

"That is completely disgusting." I mumbled "You are unbelievable."

"You're fifteen, Carrie, I raised ya, I'm done now."

"Most mothers raise their kids until they're eighteen."

"Smart mouthed little skank, I'm not most mothers."

"Clearly."

"And all I was sayin-"

"No offense mom, but I really don't care right this second."

"I couldn't care less if you don't care, I gave birth to you so you owe me your fuckin' life, Carrie and you're gonna listen to me."

"Kay mom" I mumbled as my eyelids grew heavy. She started to rant about how miserable her life is, how she was stressed out all the time, how I'm my father's child. For a while her words were clear as day and I could hear her every breath, but then slowly, her voice started to blur. My eyes closed and I found myself drifting off into my happy place.

My happy place existed on the rooftops of Gotham, in pixie style shoes and a yellow cape with green goggles on my face. My happy place lived in the part of my life where Carrie Kelley disappeared and I was no longer the daughter of two hippie stoners but something miraculous, something iconic, something with meaning, Robin.


	2. Sick

Chapter Two- Sick

Jason's POV

I sighed As I waited on the rooftop across from Carrie's apartment, it was fucking freezing and I couldn't believe how long it was taking for the girl to get home. The whole ordeal went down less than two blocks away. Really, all I wanted to do was talk to her. I knew she had to see me as an insensitive asshole after this morning. Prior to walking into that carry out, I didn't care what she thought of me. She was just some kid calling herself Robin. I knew she had to be talented, Bruce had made her his Robin. That meant she had to be tough but, tonight I walked in on her holding her own against six grown men. She certainly grabbed my attention.

A small smile graced my lips as the memory of her face when she yelled at me for using guns flickered through my mind. That was the other thing. There was something else about her, yes she was trained the same way as Dick, myself and the brat, but she had her own style at such a young age, she was a quick learner.

"Gotham needs someone like you Jason. Someone with your strict moral judgement, Someone that grew up in the harsh conditions that it is known for, the city needs you, but when it all comes down to it you are selfish and even vain, perhaps having your own Robin will help you to understand what it is to truly need to protect something, to fight for it like a man rather than just blowing it to smithereens" That's what Bruce said exactly one month and three nights ago.

I suppose Bruce was talking about Carrie, the more I see her, the more I see that she has something that none of us have anymore. Innocence. The kid has seen a lot of shit, been through shit, can call herself a Robin easily and no one would bat an eye… but that smile she has is genuine. Even after everything she can still be who she is, and not change into what the rest of us have become.

Finally her mother's car pulled into the lot and I exhaled deeply. Seriously, I can handle waiting hours for a drug bust to go down, but when something that should take ten minutes takes thirty, it's fucking ridiculous! Is her mother stoned or something? I leaned over a bit, my fingers tapped a button on the side of my mask, my scope activated and with each tap of my finger, my view of the situation on the ground became more and more clear. I watched my new protege step out of the car, she helped her friend onto her back and piggy backed the tired brunette into building E. Finally, her mother clambered out of the car. Another enhancement of my scope and I could see just how red the whites of her eyes were. Wow, she was actually high as a fucking kite.

I let thirty minutes pass, so that her mother would be settled in. I didn't worry about her friend because she looked unconscious when Carrie carried her into the apartment. Every light in the apartment was off. Carrie had made her way out onto the fire escape. For a few moments, I watched her stare off into space. Part of me wanted to know what she was thinking.

My cape bellowed as I leapt from the rooftop. Sparks flew at my heels as I slid down the railing coming off building C and with one swift move I landed perfectly on the sidewalk. I glanced toward the fire escape to find that Carrie had climbed back into her room. "Damn it." I mumbled.

I trudged across the street and stood beside the lamp post right outside her bedroom window. I wasn't sure if I could just walk right up to her window, it'd be unfortunate if I was wrong and her friend was awake. I needed to get her to come back outside. My blue eyes shifted upward "That should do it." I threw a batarang up at the light post. The weapon lodged in the glass and the street corner went dark with the exception of a few sparks. I looked up at her window, the crimson eyes of my cowl being the only light.

Carrie walked near the window, the redhead looked down at me with her round green eyes. From where I was standing, I could see that she jumped just a little bit. which pleased me because if I scared her I definitely scared low life criminals. She stepped out onto the fire escape and sighed. The girl walked back into her room and then returned to the fire escape, this time wearing a large coat. Metal steps clanked beneath her small feet as she made her way to my side.

"What the hell? You can't just go around vandalizing my apartment complex to get my attention! What the heck is wrong with you? " She made an attempt at quiet yelling as she pointed at the busted light. Her body shook with irritation and it was kind of cute.

"Hey kid." I mumbled as if I hadn't heard a word she just said. "So, is your friend feeling any better?" I asked as she moved her hand to smack me, I caught her wrist and sighed, which sounded like a growl due to the voice modulator.

"What the hell was that for?"

"The guns, asshole! You came into the carry out swinging guns around! Batman doesn't use guns, who the hell do you think you are? You're supposed to be a hero not a punk gangster! How the fuck do you get off dawning that cowl?"

"Easily, I still didn't kill anyone. You act like Bruce never crippled anyone-"

"As a last resort maybe, you just-" she interjected.

"Or that he hasn't made people go crazy, a huge Batman theory is that he creates the crazies he locks away!"

"What are you implying here?" Carrie crossed her arms over her chest.

"Bruce was no saint, I know that better than you ever will, so don't go judging me, Kid" I stared down at her. She just stared right back up at me with the fire of a thousand suns burning deep inside her emerald irises.

"Sorry." she mumbled as she slipped her small hands into the pockets of her coat "You're right about that, you did know him better than I ever got the chance to." her eyes shifted toward the snow covered ground and for a second I thought she'd given up, but her head snapped right back up "And get this through your thick head, boss...nobody is a real saint, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't all try to be."

I smirked beneath my mask. Impressive little bitch. "Noted." I mumbled beneath my breath. Like I needed to take life lessons from a fifteen year old. She probably just hit puberty. "I'll be picking you up after school tomorrow so cancel any plans you have. I want to see the full extent of your training before I go on patrol with you, god forbid you mess up and kill me." Her eyes fell and I realized I'd actually hurt her feelings with my idiotic comment. Once the happiness left her pretty eyes, my lips pressed into a hard line "I'm sorry, Kid."

"... Yeah, see you tomorrow." She whispered, I thought I heard her voice crack as she shifted her hands deeper into her pockets. Snow shifted beneath her feet as she turned around and started trudging back up rusted steps of the fire escape.

"Carrie." I demanded.

"Hm?" She looked back at me over her shoulder.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, please forgive me...I'm such an asshole. "Get to sleep, I want you cohearent tomorrow."

"Sure thing, Boss." she mumbled as she made her way back up to her window and climbed back inside, one leg at a time. As her bedroom window slowly closed, a tuft of white shifted from the window sill and snowflakes feathered across the fire escape landing. I really am an ass.

000

A sigh passed through my lips as my hands lifted my cowl off of my head. In all honesty, though covering my entire face was the smarter more tactical choice, it wasn't the most comfortable and it often left my face covered in sweat. When Wayne manor burned down, the bat cave wasn't entirely destroyed, due to it being deep under ground. Of course we'd have to move everything to a new location in the next few days, before Dick got started on rebuilding.

After tucking my cowl beneath my arm, I moved some debris away from what I knew was the cellar doors. I drew in a deep breath and readied myself. It had been many years since I set foot inside the bat cave.

Everything I'd been through didn't matter at this moment. None of my training, none of my accomplishments, nothing. I couldn't have prepared myself for this. The cave smelled as it always had, I could almost hear Alfred asking how my day went, if Bruce and I were getting along alright. Though Bruce loved his solitude, I was never lonely here. My blue eyes darted from wall to wall, computer screen to computer screen, corner to corner. That was when I stopped dead in my tracks. Right in front of my eyes, was a memorial, placed there in loving memory of the fated second robin. A pain filled my chest and part of me wanted to collapse but I held it in.

"He loved you. Alfred told you, I told you...we all told you, Jason."

I did not turn to face him. "I figured one of you would come stalking me after my first night on the job, to be honest, I thought it'd be Tim." I said nonchalantly as I turned to face my supposed elder. Dick stepped out of the shadows. He must have recently finished patrolling Bludhaven, because he was still wearing his Nightwing get up.

"Good, that saves me the trouble of explaining why I am here, Jason." He stated as he removed the mask he wore around his blue eyes. I could read the irritation in his eyes, I was about to receive a lecture. "If you are going to continue as Batman than you absolutely have to stop using-"

I cut him off "Before you finish that statement, Bruce knew me, my methods, and he still wrote me as his successor, that says something, doesn't it Dick? You're doing something wrong" I smirked.

"Is that right?" Dick mused, a smug smile twisted his lips. "He trusted you? He thought you were so perfect for the job, that your methods were so superior to his own? He gave you a fifteen year old babysitter, Jason." his gaze met mine, he felt pretty good about himself. "You aren't superior, Jason, he gave you someone to call in the real heros if you happened to snap, you're nothing but a body to fill that costume, nothing but a mouth breathing life into a symbol that cannot be allowed to die." His eyes turned to steel and his lips pressed into a hard line as his brows knitted together.

For a moment, my eyes were wide with shock but my expression soon mirrored his. I was pissed. In truth, I hadn't expected him to say the things he said. He caught me off guard. What I hated most was how obvious my emotions were. He knew he'd caught me off guard, and there was nothing I hated more then giving him that satisfaction. No shit I was expecting the babysitter comment, hell, I was thinking of making a dumbass comment about it when Bruce told me that a month ago… but the idea of Bruce sticking me in his suit to keep the idea of Batman alive while his precious Dick Grayson ran the show? Hell, that does sound like him, but still…

If Dick was telling the truth, I had to assume Carrie knew it too. That made me even more irate. The little bitch hated me because she listened to my supposed family run their mouths about me. My anger was about to hit an all time high, all I wanted to do was hurt him. It was like a mental illness that could only be cured if I crushed Dick's skull with the barrel of my magnum.

"Your one and only responsibility is to keep Batman alive, so, shut Jason Todd's idiotic mouth, burry the Red Hood, and put a leash on whatever demons you dragged out of that lazarus pit and do what Bruce wanted you to do, put the fucking guns down and become Batman, and for fucks sake, Jason, do it right." he barked so loud his voice bounced from wall to wall.  
The sound of my foot steps carried on the air as I made my way closer to him. "You're all morons, how fucking stupid could Bruce possibly have been? Me? A doll, a puppet to be manipulated? Are you fucking kidding me?" laughter burst from the depths of my throat "That is rich, Grayson, let me remind you of something, one thing you haven't mentioned…" I stopped walking and stood an arms length away from him. "Batman is supposed to do what the police aren't comfortable doing, and I am very comfortable doing what those spineless cowards refuse to, you people gave me the cowl and I'm gonna' wear it however the hell I want."

"Jason, I won't let you destroy everything he stood for, you will not take his symbol and walk all over it!" Dick screamed.

"Destroy it? No, I'm going to breathe new life into it, I'll make it everything Bruce ever wanted it to be before he went soft, a symbol for crooks and crazies to see in their nightmares at night. I don't intend to be the hero and neither did he, Batman was supposed to represent fear itself, somewhere in all the chaos and struggle, Bruce forgot all about his initial intentions. You heros want to make Gotham love you, you want to see your pictures in the paper." I sneered disgusted "I don't care to be loved, I want their fear, I'm going to be the Batman Bruce set out to be and couldn't, I'm going to be the Batman capable of keeping death worshiping sickos like that demented clown hiding in their god forsaken holes where they can't hurt anyone but themselves." As Dick begins to speak, I stop him and grab his collar, and pin him against the cold stone that make helps make up the batcave. "But don't worry, I will follow your candy ass no killing rules, but you forget one thing Dickie-Bird," I growled in his face. He didn't like that which only served to please me more. "Batman calls the shots, so…get out of my face, and don't make me have this fucking conversation a second time." I took three steps back and he stared at me with something strange in his eyes.

"You're sick, Jason." Dick stated slowly as he turned and left.

I stood there, alone. Nothing but the quiet and my thoughts to comfort me as I turned and stared at my reflection in the glass case that made up the memorial to my dead childhood.

"Oh Master Jason, you know that Master Dick is just looking out for you." A very familiar voice echoed from wall to wall, inside my head. I nodded slowly, swallowing the knot in my throat. In that moment, his voice sounded so clear that I turned to see if he was there, part of me longed to see his intelligent eyes and wise old face, but he wasn't there. In fact, I was completely alone. Weird, the cave was never a lonely place in my memories. I guess that was just one more sane part of me painted red. My eyes chased toward where Dick stood just before he left, I retraced his steps in my head and his words echoed in my mind 'You're sick, Jason'

"I know I am…" my voice was a ghost of a whisper.


End file.
